


Nightmare

by crescent_gaia



Series: hc_bingo: round 5 - Avengers (Therapy 'verse) [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Community: hc_bingo, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 17:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2200794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescent_gaia/pseuds/crescent_gaia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint's nightmare and the therapy that follows.</p><p>Set after Avengers and before Winter Soldier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the tags, as few as they are, so there are no triggers. OFC is my own creation inside the Marvel 'verse, more comic than cinematic, so take from that what you will. 
> 
> Prompt is "Nightmares". Yeah, you all saw that coming. :)

_”You have heart.”_

_A blur, pains in the chest and head as he tries to go against the mind control._

_“What did it show you, Agent Barton?”_

_Natasha and the next mission. But he had to know the first part, right? Otherwise, why would he start asking about her? About the ways that she was scared to die? And why did he answer so easily? Kissed roughly before forced to his knees and -_

Clint gasped awake, sitting up quickly and looking around at where he was. He slowed his breathing, seeing that Natasha was sleeping next to him, and turned to put his feet on the floor. He ran his hands over his face before just holding his head in his hands, wanting the nightmare to go away. At least he woke up before that part – the part of servicing Loki in ways that he would never speak of – and he didn’t have to watch that again.

“Clint?”

He didn’t answer her, not trusting his voice, and she had accepted his silence.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She knew the answer to that question, so he didn’t answer her.

“You’ve got an appointment with the new doc at nine unless you want to talk before that.”

Standing appointment, every week, and he went through several SHIELD shrinks before Fury decided to try something different. He was going to meet the new agent today, hence the comment about the appointment, so he just nodded. He didn’t expect her to hug him but he leaned into it, smiling at feeling her rest her head on his shoulder.

“I’ve got a mission tomorrow. Not sure when I’m going to be back; are you going to be okay on your own?”

“I’ll be fine,” he said quietly.

“And he speaks.”

“Well, you asked a question that’s a bit more nodding yes or shaking no,” he said.

“How much of a chance are you going to give her?”

“Her?” He raised an eyebrow about that, considering that all of the shrinks before were men. “Really?”

“Director thinks you open up more with women. Should I be worried?”

“Nah, you’re my favorite,” he said. “Always will be.”

“Good answer.” She kissed his cheek and moved backwards, taking him with her. He settled down with her, listening as she went back to sleep. He kept his eyes open, not trusting himself to go back to sleep just yet.

*~*~*~*

Clint was shown into the office, which had soft classical music playing and the smell of tea. He took a seat in a comfortable chair in front of the window, noticing there were several throughout the room as well as a couch. It didn’t take long for a woman in a smart black suit with red hair and green eyes to come into the room and pour a cup of tea for the both of them. He watched her put a cup of tea next to him before sitting down with hers. “Good morning; is this a test?”

“Everything’s a test,” she replied, taking a sip of tea. “Let’s go through the basics. I’m Agent Amelia Cyrus. At the moment, I am only half way through my psychologist training and you are my second client.”

“Who’s the first?”

“Not allowed to say. Everything in this room and any other room that I am acting as a psychologist stays. Nobody else outside of this room will know what we talk about unless you give me the right to do so. Or you speak about it with Agent Romanov,” she said. “And you chose the seat by the window because you see better from a distance. Considering your background, I would feel that you were trying to throw me or play a trick if you chose any other seat. Or that your heart wasn’t in it if you chose the couch. You don’t bring it out most of the time, but I’m told you have a sharp wit.”

“I won’t disappoint.”

“Good,” she said, smiling. “Shall we begin?”

“You’re not taking notes?”

“Eidetic memory,” she said. “We all have our own superpowers here.”

“Ah.” He tapped his fingers on the arms of the chair before looking to the tea. “No truth serum, right?”

“To my knowledge, we don’t have such a thing,” she said. “But, if we did, I wouldn’t use it.”

He took a sip of tea, looking confused on how it tasted exactly how he liked tea, and looked at her. “How does this work?”

“Talking’s involved. Just anything you wish to talk about. I might ask questions, I might not, but you direct the time.”

He took a long sip of tea before putting the cup down. “I’m not sleeping.”

“How’s the bed?”

“Comfortable,” he said.

“Too comfortable? Is it too squishy or too hard? Does the person you sleep with steal the pillows or blankets?”

He stared at her. “I thought – “

“You assumed. Sometimes a sleep problem is environment, not your brain. Also, are you smoking or drinking more than normal?”

“Bed’s perfect, so is Natasha. No to both of them, as I don’t do either, and I haven’t been taking anything to make me stay awake that would cause a habit or side effects.”

“Good,” she said. “Airplane noise, traffic noise, too much light? Too little light and not enough sound?”

“None of those.”

“Hrm,” she said. “Change in diet?”

“Why can’t you be normal and just ask me if I’m having nightmares? Because I am and there is nothing that you or anybody else can do about them.” He blinked and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s my fault. I knew you were o edge due to little sleep and I poked at you instead of being direct. But you’re not one who likes being direct right now, so it wouldn’t have worked with you. Now, the all important question, do you want to talk about them? Or would you like to try some coping methods first before we talk about them directly?”

“Coping methods,” he said. “If you have any about waking up quicker.”

“No, what I’m talking about are ways to drop you into a dreamless sleep. Meditation, chimes, different noises… drugs if we have to, but I don’t want to. Also, you’d have to talk to someone else about that.”

“I know how to do meditation.”

“But do you know how to do a drop and then come back out?” she asked. She smiled at seeing him shake his head no. “Let’s go to the couch.” She got up when he did and they spent the rest of the session practicing. When he left, with a pack of the tea, she went to her desk, sitting down in the chair. She took a deep breath before reaching out with her mind. _Director Fury, Agent Coulson?_

 _Yes Agent Cyrus?_ Coulson answered. 

She could feel that Fury was on the line as well, so she continued. _At this moment in time, Agent Barton is speaking with me. He is not a danger to himself or Agent Romanov. I am willing to continue with his assestment if you wish me to._

 _We do, Agent Cyrus_ Director Fury replied. _Thank you._

 _You’re welcome, sirs_ she said in reply as she closed the mental link. She made a few notes in her computer before she readied herself for the next client.


End file.
